Light and Dark Days
by Alia D
Summary: Severus leaves the Wizarding World after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to 'With Darkness Comes Anew'.
1. A new beginning

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 1

RATING: PG-13 (and it's uphill from there)

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)

SPOILERS: Not including OotP

WARNINGS: domestic abuse, angst, mild child abuse, language, character deaths( just two)

DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway or fashion own HP. It belongs to Rowlings and friends.

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes this is an AU to With Darkness Comes Anew. Apparently someone said that I made promises in this first one...I didn't know. But it started to tap in the back of my head that maybe I should try something without the elemental magic crap. So I'm doing something a bit toned down. It'll start the same and will seem the same as it continues. But it will be different.

Light and Dark Days

It was much quieter than it had been last time. There had been screams of absolute terror mixing easily with the wails of the prisoners driven insane by the Dementors.

He hadn't been there for too long of course. Albus had made certain that his spy would be sane enough to face Voldemort should the monster rise again. And for one of the few people he trusted, Severus had gone back and face the creature that the man once known as Tom Riddle had become.

He'd gone back to being played by two masters, despite the fact that he loved one like a father. He'd returned to doing his morning activities without looking at himself in the mirror. He'd also embraced the self-hatred he'd thought was gone. He continued his self destruction with no one really giving a damn why it was happening.

But he'd done what he did for honorable reasons. He wanted redemption for the foolish mistakes of his youth. He wanted to stop the death of the innocents who had once died by his hands when he'd been a young man. He wanted to stop the monster who was the bane of nearly every witch and wizard.

And it had worked. After the Dark Lord had returned, Severus spied on him for six years until the final battle. Of course it was what happened mere days after that battle was the one that landed him back in Azkaban. It was the start of a long string of events that landed him where he was. It was horrible to think that once free from Voldemort, he was placed in Azkaban by his own allies.

Severus looked around through the darkness then sighed silently. He hadn't seen light in over a week...if he was right about how many days had passed. It had been night when they'd thrown him in his cell.

One of the guards had thought it funny that they would stick him in the worst area of the dungeons. Severus himself could see a small bit of irony, but he'd stopped feeling any kind of emotion so the guard didn't quite get the effect he wanted.

He was numb now. The cell was almost nothing but a box big enough for him to shift in. The ceiling was too low for him to stand, not that sitting was great. The floor was damp and the walls wore some type of slimy film. That didn't keep him from sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall trying to see out into the endless darkness that surrounded him.

Severus shifted in his seat. He planned to go to sleep. At least that was something. He never had time to sleep much with spying and his teaching responsibilities. Severus snorted into the darkness and listened to it reverberate. He had years to catch up on all the missed sleep in the last six years. He had a lifetime actually.

Flinching as a distant noise became more pronounced, Severus shifted his stance. He moved further back into his small cell and further away from the thick bars. Severus squinted his eyes as the darkness slowly began to recede. It wouldn't seem much to some but to someone who'd been in total darkness for the last week or more...

Severus held his breath as his eyes adjusted to the mellow light that came his way. It was different than the light from fire so it would be a wand. As he thought this, Severus thanked whatever god that hadn't forsaken him, yet, that he was still sane, even if he was filthy and starving.

Finally, it was bright enough to see the figure cloaked in black that stood before his cell. The person's wand (for Severus could not tell their gender) had a weakened lumos to illuminate the hall his cell faced. Apparently they'd taken it into consideration that he'd been in the dark for so long. Not that it was the first time. Figuratively and literally.

A small cry came from the cloaked figure as they knelt before his cell. "Oh thank god! You're alright!" was whispered into his cell.

Severus's eyes narrowed although he flinched when the wand's light brightened. "Potter?" he croaked weakly. The figure nodded. Taking a step back, Harry Potter removed the hood of his cloak.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here Potter?" he croaked weakly. The green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. He could clearly see the frown mar Potter's face. "I came to apologize and to get you the hell out of here."

Severus looked at the figure before him and wondered if he was hallucinating. "What do you mean 'Get you the hell out of here.'?"

Potter's eyes darkened and Severus felt the air begin to cackle with magic. "You shouldn't be here. They had no right to do such a thing! As if it was even believable!"

Severus watched for a moment before whispering, "Why do you really care? Don't you believe everything that they tell you? I'm surprised that you don't believe it. You have always believed the worse of me. Why are you here, Potter? If you want retribution or forgiveness, it will not come from me."

The young man closed his eyes momentarily. "I'm doing what I think is right, that's all." Severus didn't believe a word of it.

Potter placed his hand on the lock. "Alohomora." The door of the cell opened easily as Potter pulled on the bars. Severus looked at the young man standing for moment before slowly, and quite painfully, making his way out of the small cell.

Potter gave him a hand up and Severus groaned low as muscles protested the action. Potter looked down the darkened hallway with his wand in hand. "We have to go. We can't possibly stay here."

Severus later found himself in a small flat. Potter had apparated the both of them here and unfortunately, Severus had no idea where here was. He watched as Potter opened a small closet and took out a rather large bag.

"Here. Take the duffle bag." Catching the large duffle tossed at him, Severus watched Potter rush into another room then come back out a minute later with muggle clothes: pants, jacket, shirt, and shoes. "Put these on. I don't think you'll have much more time. I'm not sure if the guards have been monitoring you. They may know that you aren't there anymore." Severus hesitated then began dressing in Potter's living room.

Potter blushed then turned around. Severus found it slightly funny that the boy- young man- would blush at his changing clothes after he'd broken into a wizarding prison, taken a prisoner, and was obviously helping him get away.

"Done." Severus saw Potter glance over his shoulder to be sure of Severus's clothed shape. Potter smiled at him. "It seems that you're ready to go Professor." His look saddened. "You can't go back to the Wizarding World. I don't think you'll ever be able to go back."

Severus flinched at not being able to return to the only world he'd ever known. But of course, it wasn't easy to forget that this world had betrayed him time after time in his life. He looked at Potter closely. "Why?" The young man dropped his eyes. "Because I'm ashamed of what they did. Because I know you would never do something like that. Because I trust you with my life and I trusted you with hers." The last few words were whispered.

"You saw the evidence Potter. Even Dumbledore believes that I did it." And admitting that hurt terribly. The man who had been his only friend, who knew him better than anyone, easily believed that Severus was a murderer.

"There had been evidence against Sirius and none of it was right." "Damn it, Potter, if they even think-," Potter shook his head. "They would never think it was me and you know it. Severus-," He stepped closer to the older man. "You've saved my life, more than once. We don't have much time for my explanations so if you want consider it my payment of a life debt. You need to leave quickly because they may look here. If only to see if you came to finish the job," muttered Potter with a grimace.

Severus frowned at that, knowing just how true it was. "Fine. I'll take your payment but where will I go Potter? I am now consider a fugitive to all the Wizarding World. I have no money and certainly no place to live."

Potter smiled at him again. "I called in a couple of favors. It's a good thing you had so much money in Gringott's. The goblins have done business with your family for years. They transferred money from a private account you had apart from the family vault. They turned all of it into muggle money." Potter dug for something in the pocket of his robes.

He handed Severus a large envelope. Giving the man before him a look, Severus opened it and shook a few cards out. Potter had gotten him a license, birth certificate, background information, credit and bank cards, and other pieces of identification that he would need in the muggle world. He gave Potter a stunned look. His former student laughed. "Like I said, I called in a few favors."

Severus shook his head glaring at Potter. "You shouldn't have done this." Potter raised his head and met Severus's glare head on. "I'm a grown man and despite what others think, I can make my own decisions. I do believe that I should do this. Besides, you shouldn't look a gift in the mouth."

Properly chastised, though he would not show it, Severus nodded. Potter took out a key. "If you have any questions, about the Muggle world..." "I may be ignorant at some things Potter, but I have been in the Muggle world before and survived." "But this might be forever." Severus said nothing. He would reveal nothing about his past to Potter, even though the boy had just gotten him out of Azkaban.

Potter cleared his throat. "They'll be looking for you by now. You'll have to find a flat to live and you'll have to change your appearance enough that you won't be recognized." He gave Severus a key. "For a hotel. Just for a couple of days." He glanced at a clock that read 'Time is running out'. "You have to go. Likely that they're looking for you."

Severus looked at Potter a moment before walking toward the door. Potter continued. "The hotel is about a mile away. The Shipton." Severus stopped at the door.

"Be careful Professor- Severus." The older man turned and looked at him. "Thank you Harry." Severus slipped out of the door.

TBC


	2. A flashback

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 2

RATING: PG-13 (and it's uphill from there)

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)

SPOILERS: not including OotP

WARNINGS: domestic abuse, angst, mild child abuse, language, character deaths

DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway or fashion own HP. It belongs to Rowlings and friends.

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a flashback. The story will from now on take place five years after Severus escaped. And again…this is the ALTERNATE UNIVERSE (aka different) of With Darkness Comes Anew…so there.

Light and Dark Days

* * *

(Three Years Before)

The large group that had arranged themselves in the Headmaster's office sat calmly awaiting information from the nervous Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley. The Minister had just flooed in and was pacing the floor frantically, worrying both his wife and children with his behavior.

Dumbledore, Moody, and the other members of the order such as Lupin, Black, Tonks each sat in their chairs also becoming worried at Arthur's antics. The man never acted like this before, and if he had, never had he done it to such a degree.

Against the wall stood the Golden Trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley. The three former Hogwarts students watched the actions of the Order Members with curiosity. Something was most definitely wrong and so far the only person who knew it was the Minister of Magic.

Finally, after expending a good amount of his nervous energy, Arthur collapsed into a chair beside his wife. Molly immediately took his hand offering comfort but Arthur just smiled weakly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, Arthur, if you've quite finished, I think the rest of us would like to hear what has you so worked up."

The man looked wearily at the Headmaster. "Albus, I really wonder if it would be the best for everyone to know. This is one thing none of us can change."

Molly squeezed his hand. "Dear, what is wrong?"

Arthur sighed. "Perhaps it would be better if I went about explaining things as they took place." He stood and held up his head but even as he did it, he continued looking like a defeated man. "Three death eaters were apprehended yesterday. It was a very good thing because it was Malfoy, his son, and Nott."

There were mummers of approval all around the room. Malfoy had been trying to reorganize the Death Eaters for years now but if he'd been captured that would either stop his plotting or at least place a hold on them.

Arthur nodded then continued. "We took turns interrogating them. It was young Malfoy who let it out first. We didn't understand him in the beginning."

"What did you ask him?" asked Moody with a gruff voice.

"We had a list of Death Eaters, either in Azkaban or still on the run that we would sometimes ask them about. Snape was on the list."

The name grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Some eyes swerved to the members of the Weasley family while other fell onto the Boy-Who-Lived. Molly's breath hitched a few times before she could regain her composure. Her husband and sons remained silent as their thoughts fell to the deceased Virginia Weasley. Harry kept his eyes to the floor not wanting to meet anyone's eyes.

Remus cleared his throat. "Arthur, what did Draco Malfoy say to the aurors?" He squeezed Sirius's hand as the man watched his godson with worry.

Minister Weasley looked around and wondered how his words would be perceived. "One of the Aurors asked him for information on Snape. Malfoy remarked that he had nothing to do with the traitor and that he got what he deserved. We thought he was talking about Azkaban so he was asked what he meant. He was placed under Veribasum so he wasn't lying. Young Malfoy said that...that his father had punished the traitor."

Albus was suddenly worried. He didn't like the implication that Arthur was slowly feeding them. The man's nervous and unsettled demeanor unnerved him. Albus knew he wasn't going to like the outcome. "I think you had better continue Arthur."

"Malfoy Sr. was interrogated immediately after. We wanted to see what his son had meant because we couldn't get anything else out of the boy. He didn't know what had happened exactly. Malfoy was given Veribasum and was questioned." Arthur's hand began to shake.

The members of the Order watched the Minister of Magic and each of them felt something wrong. It was clawing at their stomachs and many took deep breaths to ease the sudden tightness in their chests.

Sirius spoke up. "Well, what did the bastard say? If anything Snape probably got what he deserved." Most of the people in the room, nodded and other gave sounds of agreement. They didn't expect Arthur's reaction.

The usually gentle yet determined eyes of Arthur Weasley darkened with anger. "Oh really. So he deserved what happened to him. Severus deserved to be betrayed by not only Malfoy but us as well!"

"Arthur!" cried Molly, shocked that the man would defend the man that murdered their daughter and almost killed their adopted son. Sirius and Moody jumped up and began cursing Snape.

"You must be joking Weasley if you think WE betrayed that venomous bastard!"

"How can you say such a thing after what that greasy-,"

Only a few actually listened to what Arthur said. Albus and Harry were amongst them but Harry remained silent and kept his eyes to the floor.

The thoughts running through Harry's head made him dizzy but there was a dominant emotion. Knowledge…that he had been right for the last 2 years…that Severus had been an innocent man…that he hadn't been the one to attack and rape Ginny…that he hadn't been the one to murder the Weasley girl or try to kill him.

Albus stood with power radiating from his form by anger...and not a small amount of fear. "Silence!" The room quieted down immediately and everyone took their seat including Arthur. Albus took a shaky breath. "What do you mean that we betrayed him? Arthur, Se-he killed your daughter. All of us saw the evidence at the trial."

Arthur shook his head. "Apparently, the case wasn't looked at too closely Albus. After we heard what Malfoy told us...Nott impersonated Snape. He used Polyjuice then...killed Ginny. Harry had just entered but didn't see the false Snape because he was knocked out immediately."

Ron was shaking with fury and confusion. "But it was there! They found him at the scene! All the evidence was there! He raped and killed her! HE DID!"

Arthur looked at Hermione and the girl understood. "Ron, do you remember when we used that potion in second year. It gave you all of the physical aspects of the person you were impersonating. Since Nott impersonated Snape..." She broke off not able to go on. She didn't need to because Molly summed it up.

"Nott was Snape that day. So all the physical evidence would point to him anyway." There was silence in the room for a long moment.

Tonks shook her head. "But Snape was at the scene of the crime. It was in the records. He wasn't here at Hogwarts either."

Arthur's eyes dropped. "All of us know that Severus had many enemies. In the Death Eaters and certainly the Ministry. We forget that Fudge personally saw over the investigation. And we know he hated Severus."

Hermione's eyes widened. "He fixed the trial. As if the physical evidence wasn't enough. Fudge and the aurors over the case didn't even investigate!" Arthur nodded.

"Dad..." The twins had remained silent up until this point. George spoke. "Snape was tested for potions or hexes on his person wasn't he?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes, but what curses was never brought up during the trial. Including a severe concussion from a blunt object, Snape had been cursed with Unforgivables. The Cruciatus and the Imperious. Both curses were cast more than once, the Cruciatus especially. Don't you remember why Snape wouldn't answer you Albus when you went to see him at the Ministry. From what I've found, he hadn't received any treatments yet and was still recovering."

He sighed. "From what can be put together. Nott went forth with the…plans…while the others managed to kidnap and torture Severus. Then just before the aurors arrived, Severus was dumped there. Harry wouldn't have known either…he'd been unconscious at the time." Arthur became quiet afterward.

Dumbledore had his head in his hands. He remembered demanding answers from Severus as he stood before the man's cell. He hadn't wanted to believe that Severus could do something like this but everything, including the man's own silence, had said it all. But apparently all of it had been orchestrated against Severus. Albus sat up and stared at his hands. Merlin...he'd locked away an innocent man...someone who was like a son to him. "What have we done?"

Harry watched silently as everyone saw a horrible mistake. The man, that had fought beside them and for them for over twenty years, before Harry himself was born, had been betrayed by the light.

Albus stood shakily. "Arthur, we must get him out of there." The man nodded. "It's already being processed. We should be able to release Severus tomorrow."

Harry said nothing but wondered how they would react to the empty cell.

* * *

(The next day- Three Years Ago)

Albus, Arthur, Remus, Ron and Harry went to Azkaban the day. Two Aurors met them at the entrance. Both were dark haired men but while one had brown eyes the other had more of a hazel color. The brown eyed one looked much closer to retirement than his young partner. "Follow us, sirs. We'll take you right to them."

As they journeyed further down, Ron asked, "Just how far down is Professor Snape?"

The two men looked at each other then the older one answered. "The last level, in the dungeons."

Arthur Weasley stopped in his tracks. "But that area has no light at all." Snape had been in utter darkness for the last two years!

The younger of the two cleared his throat. "Yes sir. But someone goes down to give him food every day."

Dumbledore didn't look pleased at all. "We should hurry to Severus." The guilt of what happened was eating at all of them. As they continued down more stairs, he glanced at Harry. The young man had been silent throughout the entire situation. Albus only hoped that he would be alright seeing Severus after the last two years.

All seven wizards had to light their wands in order to see, though it wasn't too much help. Remus shivered. "How much farther." The cells were growing smaller and he began to wonder if they were really going the right way.

Harry watched as they finally made their way to the cell of Severus Snape, Potions Master and former Hogwarts Professor. A tray of food lay over a foot away from the cell. Totally untouched.

Albus moved his wand closer and he could see cobwebs on the bars of the cell. "It looks completely undisturbed. Both the cell and the food."

The two aurors stepped back at the anger on the Headmaster's face. The older wizard took out a key and opened the cell. It was empty and looked totally unoccupied. As if it had been for a while.

Arthur stared in shock before turning to the aurors. "Where is he!" Both men began to shake their heads furiously.

"Sir, we have no idea. We would have known if someone had gone."

"Was Severus an animagus?" asked Remus. Perhaps Severus may have escaped the same way as Sirius.

Albus shook his head. "No. He knew how but he never did it. And he only knew the theory not the practice." He turned to the aurors. "How could you not notice that he was gone!"

The older auror responded. "Sir, we have men that guard each floor of Azkaban. They check each cell on each floor."

Harry spoke for the first time since Snape's innocence was discovered. "There are no other prisoners on this floor? Is Snape the only one?"

The younger auror muttered, "We were ordered by Fudge to place him here. I don't know if there are others however."

Ron cursed. "That's not important. What is important is that we find Snape! He could be anywhere."

Remus sighed. "Either that or...Ron, Severus had a lot of enemies."

Albus asked. "Do you think he's dead?"

Arthur stared at the cell. "It's a very good possibility."

(End Flashback)

* * *

Albus sighed wearily as walked down the corridor toward his office. Just a month ago was the anniversary of Severus's imprisonment. It had been three years since he'd found out about Severus's innocence. For a year, the Order had tried to find out what had become the fate of the Potions Master, but they'd found nothing. Many thought that Snape was dead while others hoped that he had escaped.

After the truth was discovered, one of the Order members, who still remains unknown, sent information to the Daily Prophet and the story was heard all over the Wizarding World. People were astonished at Severus's story and it did include not only what happened to the wizard but of his help with the Order as a spy for over twenty years. Many, after having learned the truth, especially with the supporting evidence from Malfoy and Fudge, now considered Severus one of the heroes of the war against Voldemort.

Unfortunately, Severus would likely never know.

(Alia: And here is where things veer off into space! Sorta…)

He looked up suddenly as his door flew open. Minerva stood at the door gulping deep breaths of air and obviously frightened out of her mind. "Minerva!" Dumbledore rushed over to her, trying to make sure the witch was all right. Beginning to lead her to a chair, Albus was surprised when she pulled away from him.

"Oh Albus! I've been looking for you everywhere! You must come quickly. It's poor Mr. Potter! He's just been taken to St. Mungo's."

"Good heavens! What on earth for!" He'd just seen the young wizard the other day. Albus had been trying to convince Harry to come and work at Hogwarts for the year as the D.A.D.A. teacher.

"I'm not quite sure! Molly was hysterical when she called for you. All she could say was something about Diagon Alley and an explosion. She wants you at St. Mungo's immediately!"

TBC


	3. A flash to Mary

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 3

RATING: PG-13 (and it's uphill from there)

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)

SPOILERS: not including OotP

WARNINGS: implied domestic abuse, angst, mild child abuse, language, character deaths, Heavy Spoilers for With Darkness Comes Anew (kind of…), slash (just not for a while)

DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway or fashion own HP. It belongs to Rowlings and friends.

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I hate to say this but a few characters from WDCA might not be making an appearance. Baby Emma is gone (she wasn't around much anyway) but I might keep Julius. The twins are staying! Chiara is also gone with the wind. Sorry about that. Mother (now known as Hestia) is going to be here but she ain't making a strong appearance. And again…this is the ALTERNATE UNIVERSE (aka different) of With Darkness Comes Anew…so there. This isn't all wacky with the huge elemental magic. No, no! This is more…real. WDCA is more for my entertainment than anything. This is the same time period as the last chapter. A little more than five years after Severus escapes.

Light and Dark Days 3

Standing in the back room of the chemist's (or pharmacist's), Severus frowned as he continued to bottle the pills Hestia had given him while she'd gone off to work on her herbs. /As always, she sticks me with the chores neither one of us like to do./ He wouldn't complain much though. He was quite happy with this at the moment because all of his concentration was not employed in what he was doing.

/Where to take them today/ He continued to mentally count the pills while still thinking. /They hate going to Breanna's because of her little dancers and Terrence is out of the question because they'll bother his animals./ He chuckled, closing the filled bottles, as he remembered what happened the last time he took his boys to visit the veterinarian. Terry had almost banned the small children from his office after they let out that litter of puppies. Severus blamed himself. He should watch what the twins watch on television more often. The last thing he needed to see where his five year olds screaming 'Be free puppies! Be free!' while said puppies proceeded to chase some old tabby around the office. /Ash won't work either. The boys don't need another one of his 'cooking lessons.'/ Severus quickly pushed that memory from his mind. /Maybe Sarah…/

He glanced up as Hestia entered the room with a large box of jars in her arms. The little old woman seemed to stumble under the weight of the wooden box. "For heaven's sake, Mother!"

Severus walked over and pulled the box from her arms. Hestia laughed at him. "Thank you dear! Place it over on the counter." She pointed at counter Severus had just been working at.

"Hestia," she coughed, "MOTHER…you shouldn't be trying to carry things this heavy. You'll throw your back out." The old woman rolled her eyes. Hestia 'But please call me mother dear' Jennings was a pleasant 74 year old woman with big dark green eyes, dark brown hair, regular features, and skin darkened from the sun. Her wrinkles didn't follow along with her age however. Along with being a chemist (please let this be pharmacist) Hestia was also an herbalist and had made certain to stay young as possible. She didn't look a day over 65.

"Severus Evans! I don't need any help. I'm not some fragile damsel, dear. I'm as healthy as you are."

"And that says it all. You see how I look coming in every morning. And you aren't the one running off after five year old twin boys!"

Hestia burst into laughter. "That my dear is very true. Those two are quite a handful aren't they?"

"More like a few bucket fulls. What did I do in my past life to deserve such a punishment?" Severus said, but his mournful tone was belied by the small smirk on his lips.

Hestia smiled. She knew that no matter how…unruly…the twins could be at times, that Severus loved them. Most that knew them did. Hestia personally considered them her grandchildren. She and her husband had never had children. "Just think of it as a test. Besides, who knows where those boys would be without you?"

Severus nodded solemnly. He knew exactly where his boys would be. The twins would be in orphanages. Especially since their mother had died.

Flashback

Severus opened the bathroom window. He was slowly making his way through the small cottage room-by-room trying to clean up, or repair, all the damage left over by ten years of neglect.

He'd bought the two-bedroom cottage because he'd gotten tired of traveling through England. He had found himself in a nice sized muggle town called Ticehurst of all places. He'd never heard of it before but here he was. It was located in East Sussex, something it took a while for Severus to know as he traveled very little of world or his own country for that matter.

For around a week, Severus had stayed at an inn, looking over the numerous cards, papers, and other identification Potter had given him, as well as the instruction sheet on how to use them that annoyed Severus. After learning that he was more than financially secure, he decided that he'd stay in the town for a while. Severus had gone to the local realty office and had found a nice enough bungalow not far from town but far from any of the main roads. He wanted privacy.

Severus grimaced as he poured some of the muggle cleaning solution into the tub. He wanted to get a bath in his own bathroom instead of using the sink in the now clean kitchen. Grabbing the scrub brush, the man once known as Severus Snape, now known as Severus Xavier Evans, began scrubbing the dirt from the inside of the tub. /Evans…Potter someday…/

Severus's activities came to an abrupt stop as he heard banging at his front door. His brows narrowed as he glared at the door. "Who the bloody hell is that!" It was pouring down rain for Merlin's sake! Who would be out there now?

He hadn't bothered to meet any of his neighbors. He hadn't given enough of a damn to do so. Severus groaned as he stood up. /Of course! That just gave them their cue to come and bang on my door and disturb me for the rest of the evening./

Marching through his house, Severus reached the front door and flung it open. He didn't expect to see what he did. "Shit…"

Severus gaped from a moment before dropping to his knees on the floor. A young woman, about 24 years old, sat on his doorstep grimacing in pain. But that wasn't what really disturbed Severus. The thing that disturbed him was that the woman not only looked like she'd taken a severe beating but she looked rather heavily pregnant…about nine months pregnant to be exact.

She was gasping in pain, small whimpers escaping from her clenched lips. Despite the vivid bruises on her face and neck, she looked very pale. She looked up with dark blue eyes. "H-help. Please?"

Severus shook off his shock before placing his arms around the woman: one behind her back, the other under her knees. "You're in labor." She coughed a little and Severus was instantly worried that she was coughing up blood. The brown haired woman nodded weakly against his chest as Severus lifted her up into his arms. Not stumbling under her weight too much, he quickly took her to the sofa in the living room of the house. Severus was now thankful he hadn't waited to shop for furniture.

The woman made a little cry in pain as Severus lay her upon the simple gray sofa. She took a deep breath and whispered harshly, "Thank you."

Severus knelt down beside her. "What happened to you?"

Her eyes closed and she sniffled for a moment. "My husband…"

Severus narrowed his eyes just managing to stop a growl. "Oh."

The woman let out a little cry as she grasped her belly with both hands. "T-they're coming!"

He gaped. "THEY!" Merlin, she was about to give birth to more than one…then Severus remembered that there was no one else around…/Sweet Circe/

"You need to get to a healer – I mean a doctor!" He cursed himself mentally but it didn't seem like she noticed his slip.

"R-road is c-losed!" Severus just looked at her. /Great./

"There has to be someone…" He honestly didn't think he could help her. Sure he knew about healing but he didn't think this would be an ordinary birth. As a matter of fact, with what he could see from her condition, the labor would be rather dangerous for her.

She groaned. "I…I can call a f-friend of mine," she said breathlessly. "I know he can help a little. He doesn't work too far away." Another deep breath. "A little restaurant, about a mile down the road. He could run it easily. I think."

"Good." Severus again mentally congratulated himself. He'd been skeptical about getting a phone line but he'd done so. Thank Circe. "What's your name?"

"M-Mary…Mary Penton."

"Mary, I'm going to get the phone so I can contact your friend. Can you tell me his number?"

A minute later Severus was on the phone with Mary's friend Ashton. "Yes, is Ashton Quells there?"

"This is he," someone replied with an Australian accent. Severus introduced himself, and then told the man the situation.

"Damn. Evans, I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm bringing help too. Just keep her comfortable till then." He hung up immediately afterward. Severus rushed back to the living room to care for Mary.

Thirty-seven minutes later, a red hair man who looked a few years older than Mary stood at his doorstep, his hair wet with rain. The man's clothes were protected by the navy raincoat he was wearing. Behind him stood another figure in a hat and long black coat. He was taller than the red head. Severus couldn't see his face so he turned back to the man before him.

"Evans right?" The man shouted at the end because of the crash of thunder.

"Yes. Your Quells, right?" He stepped aside to let the men inside.

"Yes, Ashton Quells." He pointed to the nervously smiling black man behind him. "And that's Terrence Briganz." Brown eyes took Severus in as the potions master observed the man who was his age.

"Nice to meet you!" he said in a smooth voice.

"Terry!" called a voice from close by. It was Mary.

Terrence froze in his tracks before turning to Ash. "This won't work! I'm a veterinarian, not a human doctor!"

"You helped deliver that horse once!" Ash grumbled.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What do horses have to do with a WOMAN in labor!" he snapped.

"It's the same thing right!" said Ash who was slowly beginning to panic.

Severus glowered at him. Ash cringed at the look. Terry only helped Severus by glaring at him.

Shaking his head, Severus turned to Terry. "Why didn't the two of you bring a doctor or a midwife?"

"Too far into town. We called but they said that they wouldn't be able to make it in this weather. Besides the road is closed."

Ash sighed. "Well, we'll just have to give it our best shot."

A loud cry caught the men's attention and they all ran into the front room, only to see Mary curled up on the couch…pushing.

"Oh sweet Merlin," whispered Severus. The others were too shocked to really listen.

Terry glanced at the front door with a longing look before going toward Mary. He lifted her dress to her knees with a embarrassed look and, after taking a deep breath, looked between her legs. He blanched. "One's coming."

Mary gave him a weary look as she coughed a little more blood. "No shit."

Ash flinched and Severus leaned against the wall for a moment. He then straightened himself and headed toward them. "Well, we'll just have to deliver them." He came over and sat behind Mary, allowing her to relax a moment before pushing again. Severus wondered if she was going to be able to deliver both twins.

Shaking his head in wonder, Ash came over to the couch but Terrence shook his head. "Go get some towels. She's bleeding a bit and we need something to wrap the twins in."

/Twins…/ Severus just concentrated on holding Mary's hand. The weary woman had a glazed look in her eyes that worried him. He tapped her face slightly. "Mary, Mary, stay awake!"

She came back into focus for a moment and smiled at him. "I'm sorry I didn't come by this week to say hello. I must have been a terribly rude neighbor."

Terry and Severus stared at her for a moment. She was bleeding and in pain but she wanted to apologize for not acting neighborly. Terry shook his head and concentrated on what he was doing. "Mary, I need you to concentrate for me. His head is almost out but you need to push, Mary."

With Severus giving her leverage, things were a bit easier for Mary but she still screamed bloody murder. Ash had run in with all the towels he could find just in time to see Mary pass out.

"SHIT!" Terry called Ash over as Severus began trying to wake Mary up.

"Mary! Mary, wake up!" Severus didn't know everything about delivery, but he knew that Mary passing out wasn't a good thing.

"Evans, check her for head wounds!" He cradled the bloody baby in his arms. "Ash, find some sort of tie and a knife." Terry shook his head as he watched Ash disappear again. He glanced at Severus and Mary. Thankfully the young woman was slowly waking up.

"Wha-," she cut off with a soft sob, her body having contractions for the other child. Her body immediately curled in on itself in order to push. Mary cried out in pain but not just that of the birth. As Terry declared the head out, Mary leaned back against Severus trying to take a deep breath. Ash returned quickly, tied off the umbilical cord and cutting it. He carried the crying child to the other side of the room where a large chair was.

Severus winced as Mary ended up coughing up even more blood. Her eyes had regained the glazed look from earlier before. "Mary!" Severus's yelling and shaking wasn't working anymore. Although it didn't surprise him because Mary had been hit something hard and blunt in the back of her head. The fact that she had stayed awake so far surprised him.

Terry grabbed his attention. "Severus, she's too out of it! Lean down on her." A few minutes later a silent baby was born. Terry began cursing as he did what he could to get the bluish looking babe to cry. He slipped a finger down the child's throat and got a few weak coughs before a loud cry echoed through the room, joining with the crying of the other boy.

Severus took a moment to look at the now breathing boy before he turned back to Mary. Her breathing was getting slower and she was becoming less tense, but that didn't reassure Severus. Mary's eyes weren't opening either, no matter how hard Severus shook her. He checked her pulse and his own jumped at seeing how weak it was. "Briganz!" He watched the man hand off the second baby to Ashton.

"What is it?"

"She's still not waking up."

Terry rushed over and started his own examination. He shook his head. "I don't think there is much else we can do except try to clean her up. I'm not an expert in this field. I can't help her."

It was only an hour later when Mary actually opened her eyes. She weakly turned her head to the side to see that she was still on the couch. Across from her were two men. One she could easily identify as Ashton. The other one was her neighbor. She couldn't remember his name. He slept quietly in a large chair with both of the babies also asleep in his arms. She smiled softly. So she'd done it. They were both fine even though she'd stayed with her abusive husband. Mary could only hope that they would be all right. She took a deep breath and went to sleep. Mary didn't wake back up.

The storm ended later that morning. Soon after that the road reopened, allowing an ambulance to come to Severus's home. It was too late for Mary. She'd died in her sleep. From all that Terry knew, her body couldn't handle anymore.

The hospital took in the children at least until their father could be contacted. A problem that Ashton, Terrence, and Severus, who'd been dragged along, decided to deal with at the local authorities.

TBC

Alia: I couldn't post this until I finished the next part of WDCA. The next part is done so here you are. The flashback has yet to end too! Now review.


	4. A flash and a suprise

Alia: Sorry that things took so long but I was really burned out after finals. I lost myselffor well over a month in Xander and Joxer slash. Thankfully, I'm better now and have gotten my groove back hopefully. I am working on Second Chances (half a chapter is done already) and tomorrow I'm working on With Darkness Comes Anew. So just keep an eye out on things alright.

Thanks for Reviewing Jennie...And yes I got things mixed up. Like I said, I was burning out.

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 4

RATING: PG-13

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)

SPOILERS: not including OotP

WARNINGS: mentions of domestic abuse, angst, mild child abuse, language, minor character deaths

DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway or fashion own HP. It belongs to Rowlings and friends.

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm trying to speed ahead LDD and WDCA. I want to go ahead and finish them, because plot bunnies are still attacking me. We are still in the flashback. This is a week after Mary's death. I changed the twins' names. I didn't know what the hell I was thinking in the first place but really, if Mary died so early in the universe, who would name the boys?

Light and Days 4

(Flashback)

"WHAT!" shouted the enraged man. /I don't believe this. First, the idiot police DON'T arrest the bastard and now this/ Ashton, Terry and Severus had gone to speak to the local authorities about what happened.

Problem was Penton worked for them and they had a hard time believing them. There was no arrest unfortunately but it was decided that until things settled down that Timothy Penton would not have custody of his children.

Terrence watched, with great satisfaction, the angry man storm back and forth through his kitchen. He leaned back into the chair he sat on. Glancing into the living room he could see that Severus had gotten rid of the couch Mary had died on. /Don't blame him. I'd never be able to use that damn thing again without thinking about Mary./ Terrence frowned at the situation that had brought him back to Severus's home, and asking the man for a favor.

Severus glared out the nearby window. "Are you telling me, that those idiots are actually considering…giving that-that bastard the twins!"

Terrence nodded. "Yes they are. People would have to be pretty ignorant to not know Mary was being abused, but she always hid it from everyone but her closest friends. That was Ashton, Breanna, Sarah, and I and even then we had to keep pestering her to get the truth."

"Who are Breanna and Sarah?"

"Breanna and Sarah were close friends of Mary. They own a building in town where their businesses are. Breanna has a dance school for little girls but is part owner of Sarah's business. She's a wedding planner." Terrence rolled his eyes at that but turned back to Severus.

"If you have four people, why do you need me to talk to the judge as well?" asked Severus.

"Because Mary's husband, Timothy, barely hit her while she was pregnant, but it had to have been him at the end. Who else could have done that to her?"

"She told me it was him."

Terrence leaned forward in his seat and placed his cut on the kitchen table. He had visibly brightened at the news. "Really?"

"Right before I brought her in I asked her who'd done it. She told me her husband."

"Good that should give us a great case. Can you come with us tomorrow? I can pick you up."

"Of course."

The next day both men found themselves outside of the courtroom preparing to meet with Mark and his attorney.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" asked Severus.

Terrence shook his head and brushed invisible dust off the pinstripe suit he was wearing. Severus was again pacing and it was doing nothing but making him nervous. "Severus, I know we're worried but you're making me nervous. Would you mind not doing-," He stopped himself as three people walked down the hallway.

One was Ashton. /How the bloody hell could you miss him/ thought Severus. /If his hair was brighter he'd be a Weasley./ He was dressed cleanly in a nice black three piece suit like Severus and had it not been for the frown on his face, he would have looked remarkably handsome.

The other two were women. One was a young black woman, almost late twenties, with straight black hair and light brown eyes. She was about 5' 8" and wore a simple sleeveless white A line dress that stopped around the knees. The woman beside her, who seemed a few years older, was about an inch taller with black hair and ocean blue eyes. She wore a long dark green dress. A matching jacket was in her hand.

The blue-eyed woman smiled. "I see we aren't late." A peculiar look was on her face as she looked at Severus.

Terrence shook his head. "Not at all."

Ashton smiled and shook Severus's hand. "Good to see you again, Evans." Severus nodded.

He motioned Severus closer. "Severus Evans, this Sarah Linsetti."

Severus nodded to pale woman and was startled when the woman threw herself at him. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away. "For helping Mary and the twins."

Severus just nodded and turned his eyes as she brushed away a few tears. The other woman smiled at him. "Breanna Moorman." They shook hands briefly although Severus noticed the woman flinch slightly. She chuckled at him when she saw his expression. "Don't take any offense to it. I'm not much for people touching me." At the nod of the others, Severus relaxed.

"So, is everyone ready for this?" asked Terrence.

"It's either that or kill him." Everyone glanced at Sarah when she said that. No one disagreed with her either.

It was not long after when both attorneys came toward them followed by Timothy Penton. Severus hated the son of a bitch the moment he laid eyes on him. He looked nothing like the classical 'Bad Guy' but Severus had been around a great deal of people like that as a Death Eater. He knew better. Apparently the others did too, because all took a moment just to glare at him.

After going inside, Timothy's attorney immediately asked the judge that his client be given the custody of his children. Then the other attorney, who was once Mary's attorney, told the judge that it was impossible and just plain wrong to hand over the infants to an abusive man. Timothy was NOT happy with that.

He jumped up in a fury and began yelling at the man. "Abusive! That's preposterous. I would never lay a hand on Mary."

"Strange since our guests here can say otherwise." Then they went on. All of the five testified that Mary was being abused for a long time before she died or how badly she'd been beaten the night the twins were born and how that resulted in her death.

Severus's comment hit the hardest, because he hadn't really known Mary at all before that night.

The judge had a grim look on his face since there was physical evidence that Mary had been beaten at her death. "These are very serious charges. Not only is it being charged that Mr. Penton was abusive to his wife but that this abuse led to the death of his wife and may have resulted in the death of one of the infants. Until this can be resolved, Mr. Penton will be placed in custody."

Things went well the next couple of days with Penton being charged for murder. Unfortunately, Penton had a few loyal friends and had managed to escape the small prison. No one knew where the bastard was until a week later where he'd been killed trying to escape the police.

It was after this that the care of the twins came to mind. Severus was quickly finding himself being pulled into the group of friends. He sat on the crème sofa in Sarah and Breanna's small living room. They had relaxed in the beginning but again it was time for business. Why Severus was here for this particular conversation, he had no idea.

"So if someone doesn't take them…"

Sarah nodded to Severus. "They'll be placed for adoption. Unfortunately, neither Breanna nor I have the time, space, or resources to adopt two children. That's why we're asking you three."

Severus's eyes widened at that. /You want me to adopt them! Bloody hell woman, you just met me/

Ashton was shaking his head. "I can't. I won't be like my dad. He was a good man but the restaurant always kept him away from me." The Australian frowned at the memories.

"Shit. I can't do it either. Not now anyway. With the animals I work with, there is no way I could bring the children with me at their ages. And I can't shut my place down or afford a nanny right now."

Brea looked at Severus critically. He frowned at her. "You cannot be serious. You barely know me. I could be a murderer or something."

Strangely Breanna smirked at that and exchanged a quick look with Sarah. Turning back to him she said, "Severus, we trust you."

"How can you say that?"

"Because you've been the one going to visit the twins in the hospital everyday and you usually stay even after visiting hours."

Severus found himself blushing at that. He coughed. "Besides that."

Sarah gave him another strange look. "You are a good man Severus. I believe that. All of us do."

He looked to the ground. He couldn't remember anyone telling him that. Not even Dumbledore.

Ash cleared his throat. "If you're worried about doing it yourself, we'll be happy to help. I can help certain times in the day and definitely on the weekends."

"I can help in the mornings if you need someone to take them off your hands. And during classes, they can stay in a play pen or something," said Brea.

"I can take them certain times in the day. If they're sleeping or preoccupied, it won't stop my dress making or my planning." Sarah smiled.

"I can help you out when they're older. I might have a few young animals they can help with."

"There's also a good daycare center in town," said Ash.

Severus was still contemplative. /Could I be a good father/ He sighed. There was one way to find out.

(End Flashback)

Severus looked at his watch, then back at Hestia. "It's time for me to pick up the boys, Mother."

Hestia smiled as she started arranging bottles in a cabinet. "Where do you plan to take them today?" Usually Severus took them to visit one of their 'aunts or uncles'.

"Perhaps, I'll take them by Sarah's and then go home." Saying goodbye to Hestia, he headed toward the boy's daycare.

He went to the daycare where two identical little boys accosted him. "PAPA!"

Severus picked up both children. Hazel eyes looked up at him. He pressed a quick kiss on the small heads topped with dark brown hair. "Xavier, Nathaniel, please tell me you behaved today." He looked sternly at both children who gave him innocent looks.

"We're always good, papa."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Of course you are."

After another long talk with the boys' teacher, Severus took them to Sarah's. The walk wasn't enough to tire the boys enough that they wouldn't reek havoc once they reach the wedding planner's place though.

Sarah greeted them as she was locking the door, however. "I'm closing up early today. I'm exhausted, but you can walk home with me." She and Breanna had purchased a nice home that was about a mile away. Both women said they walked for exercise. No one mentioned that both hated driving.

They were half way to their destination when Severus asked, "Is Breanna cooking tonight?"

"Yes, it's her turn."

Severus looked at the boys, who were running ahead of them. "Do you mind if we join in?"

"You had better. She's in one of her really good moods. You know how much she cooks then."

"Curse that woman for getting me addicted to her cooking."

"You've never been to the States, Severus. We grew up there." She sighed. "And remember Brea traveled between Louisiana and Tennessee all her life. Of course she knows how to make real 'Southern Cooking'." (Alia: Something the author also knows well enough)

Severus nodded. They started into a talk about politics then. Both muggle and wizarding. Sarah had known who he was from the beginning but had found it strange that a murdering death eater would help a muggle woman. She'd given him the benefit of the doubt and it had paid off three years later when the truth came out.

When she told Severus, however, the wizard had given her a blistering lecture on common sense and how idiocy and trust can get you killed. Brea also received the lecture but the woman had rolled her eyes at Severus and told him that if he'd been a murdering muggle hater, he'd had left Mary on his porch to die. "So quit your bitching. You have potty training to do!"

Suddenly Sarah gasped. "I don't believe it. How could I forget to tell you about that!"

He looked at her with concern, though he kept an eye out for his boys. "What is it?"

"There was an explosion in Diagon Alley yesterday."

Severus continued walking, "Likely some idiot that wasn't watching what he was doing with his magic."

She shook her head. "No! It wasn't that. It came from inside Gringotts."

"That must have pissed off the-,"

"SEVERUS!" She paused for a moment. "From what I heard, Harry Potter was inside one of the vaults at the time. Something blew up and did a number on him. He's in St. Mungo's recovering but he's in a comma."

"Potter?"

"He was one of your students at Hogwarts, wasn't he?"

"Yes he was," he said with a strange hint to his voice so she didn't question him.

They were quiet for a while before Xavier and Nathaniel went off the road. Severus sighed with frustration. "Xavier! Nathan!"

Two terrified screams were heard a few moments later. Severus broke into a run with Sarah right behind him. "Boys! Where are you?"

Screams of 'Papa!' were heard and both adults quickly followed them. The boys were beside a tree crying and holding onto each other. Xavier pointed at something before them making both adults turn and stare in shock and disgust. A body. A dead body that showed signs of severe burns.

Severus moved forward and could see what frightened his children so. The body was propped up badly against another tree. The man hadn't been very tall at all. Third degree burns could be seen on his face. It was nauseating seeing the man's eyes staring forward at his children…well one of his eyes. The other seemed to have blown open. Only half remained it the socket. It was sickening.

"Severus…his clothes…"

Looking at the clothes Sarah pointed out, his chest tightened. Black robes. Severus moved till he was before the body. Sarah was calming the boys. The man's clothes were ragged, as if very old and badly treated. He looked at both hands and in one he could see a wand. It was the other hand that froze him. "Bloody hell."

A hand made of silver. Severus's eyes looked closely at the man before him, then he cursed. "Pettigrew."

TBC

Alia: Well, well. Now isn't this a slightly different take on things. I hope you liked it. Anyway I have to ask you guys something besides a simple review. The plotbunnies are still around but some are maturing and others are dying. Right now I have a question. Pick one scene or the other. That's going to be my next story. Let's just hope I don't screw it up.

A.

Severus felt pity at the man before him. His face was totally disfigured, he couldn't walk, he had scars all over his body, and his breathing sounded terribly wet. It was most likely blood. The broken man had been coughing it up for the last five minutes. The young wizard again cursed his decision to become a Death Eater. /Damn it all to hell/

Taking a deep breath, he raised a hand and pointed his wand at the man. /A mercy killing. That's what it is. I mean, never mind that the Dark Lord wants him dead. Right/ He looked down and found dark blue eyes staring up at him solemnly. Severus began to shake for a moment before dropping his wand to his side. His head dropped and his eyes closed.

"He'll kill you if you don't kill me." Severus looked at the man. There it was again. It was the same thing that bothered him whenever he looked at those eyes. "Who are you?" he whispered. The disfigured man looked at his with angry blue eyes. "Not long ago…I was a man named Tom Riddle who called himself Lord Voldemort. Now…you serve the man who is Lord Voldemort…and I am Tom Riddle."

B.

"This is insane. This can't possibly be happening!" cried Severus angrily. **_It is_**, said the whispery voice. Severus stood from his seat quickly, making it fall back violently. /Rest. I just need to rest. I'm placing myself under too much. I need to speak with Dumbledore tomorrow./ With that, Severus went to his room and undressed. Not bothering with a shower tonight, he crawled into bed and closed his weary eyes.

The nightmare began so quickly it felt like someone punched him. Screaming children ran through the halls only to be hunted down and brutally killed. Men, colleagues of Severus that fought for the light, becoming nothing but hateful murderers. The Headmaster nodding slowly as Harry Potter turned away angrily, only to shoot a curse at the young man's back. Voldemort…hanging against a wall across from Potter, both screaming as their magic is drained from them. Dumbledore smiling, twinkling eyes filled with madness. A powerful scream coming from all around…of pain, sadness, and death. The scream increasing in powerful as Hogwarts tumbled to the ground only to release a brilliant flash of light. Quiet…just for a moment. Then…cries. "It's gone! It's gone! The magic is gone!"

Severus sat up in his bed with a gasp. He wiped some of the sweat from his face. /A dream. Just a dream./ **_"No. It isn't."_** A shiver ran down his spine. Because that voice belong to the scream in his dream. "Who are you?" he whispered with fear. **_"Hogwarts."_**

Alia: So pick A or B. Please review.


	5. Aurors are nothing but trouble

Alia: Here I am again. Okay, I got my reviews and a few votes too. If didn't vote before you still can, just go back a chapter. Right now I just have the coupling decided...mostly. B may end up a threesome. I don't know.

Syber Snake: Thanks for reviewing. I like A...I think the idea came from a wierd dream. I don't remember.

Marie: I can only try. It's impossible to write when you don't have the inspiration. Believe me, I've tried. Thanks for voting.

Tazthedevilman: Thanks!

arnyekmester: Thanks for voting.

lazure: The guys don't know about Severus's history. Just thought I'd go ahead and say it. I can't leave any of my stories alone. They always come back to haunt me.

Thanks to everyone else who is reading this too.

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 5

RATING: PG-13

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)

SPOILERS: not including OotP or HBP

WARNINGS: angst, language, minor character deaths

DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway or fashion own HP. It belongs to Rowlings and friends.

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I hope that I don't offend anyone with the beginning conversation but if you do…it's all my mom's fault.

Light and Dark Days 5

Breanna strolled from the kitchen into her living room to sit beside Ash on the couch. "Anything on?" The restaurant owner had closed shop today in order to have the entire place sprayed for any bugs and rodents that may be around.

Ashton shook his head and turned the channel. "The news is on. Someone got bitten by a shark."

Brea snorted. "Again? Where?"

"Florida. The States."

"I know where Florida is. American, remember?" She sighed. "Don't those idiots know better by now!"

Ash smirked. "No. They'll never figure out that sometimes…sushi bites back."

"I mean, you would think they would remember the damn sharks were there, but maybe they want to be humane. You know? Offering a free meal. The sharks must find the beach a lovely restaurant."

"Why do you think they keep coming back for more!"

Both were giggling. Brea said, "But on the other hand, how would you enjoy the beach?"

"I'd still go to the beach. I can turn the television on to the Travel Channel anytime." He laughed

"And lets not forget that lovely view from the hotel." Brea found his laughter a bit infectious and started laughing as well. A moment later both turned as the front door opened.

Brea was the first to see their faces and her laughter ended though the smile remained for the twins' sake. She grinned at the boys. "If you guys are looking, your cookies are on the kitchen table."

The boys' frightened demeanors melted almost instantly and the two ran for the kitchen with a yell of thanks. Brea turned to her two pale friends. Ash stood also. "Okay," said Brea, "What's going on?"

Ash took a good look at his friends. Sarah was scared to death. Her skin was pale and she seemed to be rather shaky. Severus's face displayed no emotion whatsoever. His eyes, however, did hint at something unsettling. "Guys?"

"Let's just say, we found something we didn't expect to see." Sarah moved to sit beside Ashton.

"Severus!" Brea didn't say it too loudly. She didn't want to alarm the children. "Just what happened?"

"We found the dead body of a wizard in the forest on the way over."

The four adults were quiet for a long moment. Ash didn't look surprised about any of it. He and Terrence knew that Sarah, Brea, and Severus were magical.

"So are you going to call the police?" asked Ash.

"The aurors and yes I am."

"Do it in the morning, Sarah," said Severus.

"But why?" she asked confused.

Brea got it immediately. "You don't want them to know about you."

Severus gave a short nod. "Exactly."

Sarah glared at him. "I don't see why that matters! Severus, you've been cleared off all charges by the Ministry."

"That doesn't mean that I want them to know! I don't care about that part of my life anymore, Sarah. I'm happy for once in my life." The other three looked at their friend with understanding. Severus had left the wizarding world behind him. No reason to drag it back into his life.

"So what do you want to tell them?"

Severus rubbed his forehead. "Tell the aurors that you were walking from work with the boys."

"That you were going to babysit the boys until their father came for them," interrupted Ash.

Severus nodded at the excuse for the boys being along. "Then tell them some of the truth. That the boys went into the woods and found the body. You identified it as a wizard with a strange silver hand. Be sure to tell them about his hand immediately. One or two certain aurors may arrive."

"Sounds simple enough." Brea shifted in her seat. "I think I've heard of some one with a silver hand a few years ago. He was involved in the war somehow."

"He was a Death Eater. Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew!" cried Sarah as she recognized the name. "Shit. They said he was missing after the war."

"Apparently not," muttered Ash.

"Wait a minute. Severus, those burns! Do you think they had something to do with the explosion at Gringotts? The one that put Harry Potter in St. Mungos?"

Severus was quiet for a long moment. "Perhaps. It does seem very likely." He looked sternly at her. "Contact them the first thing in the morning."

"Leave the boys here tonight, Severus," said Brea. "They'll need to be here for Sarah's story. And you will need to talk to them about what they can and can't say."

"I wish I didn't have to involve them in this situation."

"I know that, mate," muttered Ash. "But it's too late to worry about that."

Sarah took a deep breath then sighed. "Brea, what are you cooking? It smells fantastic."

"Lets go in the kitchen. You can help me finish up."

The next morning, Sarah stood nervously before the fireplace silently. The house was nonetheless filled with noise as Breanna was in the guest room trying to dress the boys. She was doing much better than the seriously distracted Sarah had.

Sarah wondered if she was doing the right thing, but that was Peter Pettigrew's body. It was probably best if someone knew it was there. She frowned. Sarah didn't want to do this but what choice did she really have? Holding her wand tightly in her hand, she opened her floo.

Ten minutes later, three aurors appeared out of her fireplace. Standing before Sarah were two men and a woman. Both men were tall; one was black and the other had a head full of bright red hair. The woman caused Sarah to pause for a moment when she saw the very short fuchsia pink hair. /Good thing Brea isn't in here. The color would have made her leave./ Brea had a hatred of all things pink.

"Miss Linsetti?" asked the older man.

"Yes."

He nodded to her. "I'm Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt." He turned slightly to point at the woman beside him. "This is Auror Tonks." The warning look she'd given him had said everything about saying her name. She then smiled at Sarah and nodded her head once.

Shacklebolt then pointed to the young man on his left. "And this is Auror Ronald Weasley." He gave her a weary smile. Sarah frowned mentally despite her returned smile. The young man looked terrible. /Hmm…Weasley/

Sarah said, "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Can you tell us again about what you found? From what we were told you saw-," Sarah interrupted Ron.

"A dead body with a silver hand, yes. It was a wizard. I saw his robes and wand with him."

"Can you tell us how you found him?" asked Tonks.

"Sure. Oh!" She shook her head. "Sorry about my manners. This is all been a bit much. Have a seat." She pointed to the sofa and chairs within the room. Everyone quickly seated.

"So, Miss Linsetti, can you tell us what happened?" asked Kingsley.

She took a deep breath. "Well, I was walking from work with the twins."

"Twins?" said Ron with a grimace.

Sarah nodded with a smile. "The noise in the back. I'm babysitting for their father."

"So what happened next?"

"The boys were a bit rambunctious and veered off course into a bit of wood not too far from here. I was going to call them out when they started screaming. I ran to check what it was. I was stunned to see that there was a dead wizard there, and recently dead from what little I can tell."

"What does the body look like?" asked Tonks.

"Like I said, what really caught my attention was the silver hand…then I noticed the robes and wand. As for the rest of it…" Sarah grimaced. She explained what else of the body she could see from where she'd stood. "I didn't want to examine it too closely. I just wanted to get the boys out of there."

"How are the boys taking it?" inquired Ron.

Sarah chuckled. "Breanna, my roommate, had cookies waiting for them when we got back. I told her what happened and she suggested that I call you."

"Why did you wait to do it so early in the morning?" Kingsley thought that she would have called immediately.

"I was so shaken by it." She paused and sighed. "I try not to be too involved in the Wizarding World anymore, but Breanna thought that it might be important."

"Is Breanna a muggle?"

"She's a witch. A very good one, but we were raised…in the States." Sarah had a feeling she should have not mentioned the rest, however, it explained why they didn't use magic much anymore where they lived. In the British Isles, wizards and witches were just so damn stuck up about dark magic. Foreign wizards and witches made the scared the natives.

The three aurors eyes widened for a minute but at that moment Brea came out of the room with both boys.

"Don't worry, dears. We only do white magic now." She smirked as the 'now' left the aurors uneasy.

Sarah gave an annoyed sigh. "Brea!"

The twins giggled at their 'aunts' and their antics. Ron smiled and winked at them, causing both boys to laugh loudly.

"So what are your names?" asked Tonks.

As the other two aurors spoke to the children, Kingsley turned back to Sarah. "If you could show us the location of," he glanced at the cheerful children, "what you found. It would be very helpful."

"Of course. Brea?" She gave the girl a questioning look.

Brea nodded. "I'll take the boys to the daycare."

Xavier looked up at Brea. "Can we see Daddy first?"

Looking at Ron, Nathan said in a stage whisper, "We can't leave Daddy alone. He gets into a lot of trouble." It was said with a solemn look and a shake of the head.

Ron almost snorted with laughter. /Oh these two are a lot like the twins./ He pitied their father.

"We'll drop by on the way. Maybe you can convince him to take you."

Cheering both children ran for the door, yelling for Aunt Brea to hurry. Rolling her eyes, she headed toward the door. Sarah stood also, clearing her throat. "Perhaps we should follow them. It's on the way."

* * *

Ron grimaced as he stood near the deceased body of Peter Pettigrew. "Ugh." 

Kingsley glanced at Ron while Tonks smiled at him. He then turned back to the body he was knelt before. He frowned when he noticed the burns Sarah Linsetti had mentioned. "I don't like this. The body is still fresh mostly. I'd say he died just a couple days ago."

Ron suddenly stood straighter. He moved closer to his comrades. "You don't think he had anything to do with the explosion in Harry's vault do you?"

Kingsley's frown deepened. "Maybe. Look at the burns. They're rather severe. Just like Harry's."

Tonks began slowly checking Pettigrew's pockets. With a whistle, she came out with a vial of clear liquid. "Found something. Haven't a clue what it is though." Kingsley shook his head to indicate that he didn't know what it was either.

Ron narrowed his eyes at it. "We may have to take it to Hermione. She'll know what it is."

"Hermione is very good, Ron, but we need a potions master for this."

Tonks flinched for a moment and both men went silent. It was usually an unspoken agreement amongst the Order. No one liked bringing up past mistakes, especially one that probably got someone killed.

Kingsley tilted his head to the side. "What really has me fixed is the location."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, coming out of his thoughts.

"Why would he come here? Why not somewhere in London, perhaps?"

"Do you think his hideout is here?" said Tonks, "Or maybe he was meeting someone?"

"Perhaps. He may have been coming after someone else though." He sighed. "The only way to be sure is for Harry to wake up and tell us what happened in his vault," said Kingsley.

Ron nodded, his eyes toward the ground when he suddenly frowned. "Look at that!" He pointed to the tracks on the ground. There were five pairs of tracks. The shortest was Pettigrew's. He seemed to walk a few steps then fall against the tree he was now against. There were two more tracks of small feet. It was obviously the tracks for the twins.

But there were still two more tracks, which meant that either someone else had found Pettigrew or Sarah was lying about something.

Tonks frowned and knelt down beside the tracks. "One of the tracks is of heels. Linsetti was wearing some short-heeled sandals to work. They had a bit of dirt on them."

"So who is the owner of the second pair of tracks?" asked Shacklebolt. Tonks and Ron shrugged but he stared at the tracks closely for a moment. Kingsley then said, "Have you noticed that these are side by side? And not only that but that they don't cross each other once?"

Ron frowned. "So that means that someone was with Miss Linsetti, right? But why lie about it?"

"I don't know. But I think it would be wise to visit her shop before we leave."

* * *

With three 'notice me not' spells, they managed to get to Sarah's shop with no real trouble. It was a rather small place, with a few dresses hanging on mannequins standing before the peach tinted walls. Large bookcases were scattered here and there, holding large binders. There were plenty of display cases near the front holding a few rings, but mostly dress accessories. Handing on the wall around the shop were veils and a variety of floral patterns. In the far back of the store was a staircase that led to the first floor. A young woman was inside the shop with a large book in her hand arguing heatedly with an older woman. 

Sarah was sitting at a small desk to the side watching the argument with amusement. Noticing the three aurors at her door, she motioned them to come in as she stood. Excusing herself from the oblivious couple, she smiled as she walked toward the bewildered aurors. "Weddings can be rather stressful between a mother and daughter. One thinks something is way too traditional and the other just hates the selected groom."

She glanced back to see the sobbing daughter run to the back of the shop where the restrooms were, her mother running behind her apologizing. Sarah shook her head and cleared her throat. "So how can I help you?"

"Miss Linsetti is there something you would like to tell us?" asked Kingsley.

Sarah looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Tonks cleared her throat. "We were wondering if it was really only you and the children that found the body."

"What would make you ask that?" she said still sounding confused. Sarah was, however, growing nervous. /This is not good. They can't know/

"We found another pair of tracks Miss Linsetti. We really wanted to know who else was with you that day. Can you remember?" Ron asked.

Sarah shook her head quickly. "No one. I was with the children that day."

"What of the boys' father?" Kingsley could see that the woman was slightly agitated but that could come from her confusion.

"He has twins and is raising them by himself. Brea and I just wanted to give him a bit of time alone. He was at work then drove home himself."

"Miss Linsetti, please, this may be very important. Was there anyone else with you that day?"

"No." She said it with annoyance and a bit coldly. Ron found himself still a bit skeptical of her. He had a gut feeling.

Kingsley sighed. It was apparent that either they were wrong or she was lying. He personally believed the latter. "Very well. Thank you for your help, Miss Linsetti."

She nodded silently. /Just get out of my shop and out of my life already/

As the three aurors stood outside the shop, gaining a few curious looks from the muggles around them, they looked at each other. Kingsley glanced around. "Perhaps we should keep an eye on Linsetti. Just for today. I have a rather strange feeling that she'll lead us to something important."

"Think she was lying?" muttered Tonks who was feeling for her wand in her pocket.

"I'm quite sure she was."

"So do we follow her?" asked Ron.

"Yes."

* * *

Sarah had problems concentrating for the rest of the day and later found that she needed to speak to Severus badly. Unfortunately, she had told Brea what had happened. The woman had been very displeased and told Sarah to avoid Severus for a couple of days in case the aurors were tailing her. 

But she had to see him. What if the aurors tried questioning the boys? Severus would be furious if he wasn't warned. She'd tried calling the shop all day but with no luck.

"Damn!" She slammed down the phone. Sarah ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I'm going!" she growled in her throat.

Grabbing her purse, Sarah headed for the door. "Brea!" She screamed toward the stairs of the dance studio. "Watch the shop! I'll be back later."

Brea, who was stretching for her next class upstairs, replied, "Okay!"

* * *

The three aurors carefully followed the agitated woman down the street. "Do you think she's going to see whoever was with her that day?" asked Tonks. 

"Seems like it. Look how nervous she is." Ron wanted to get all the information about this case that he could. If it had anything to do with Harry and what happened at Gringotts, he needed to know. So far all it seemed that Pettigrew had something to do with it. For a moment, he also wondered about Linsetti. /What do we know about her? She and the person with her could have been accomplices! What if they killed Pettigrew? I mean Harry survived those burns, even though he's in a coma./ Ron also grumbled to himself about not speaking to the twins. /They could have given us a little information./

Linsetti seemed in a bit of a hurry so they didn't have to wait too long before she got to her location. When she arrived, Ron and Tonks shared a look. /The apothecary/

Kingsley frowned. /Is she coming to pick something up/ He went to the large window of the apothecary, the other two aurors following him. As they reached the window, Kingsley was the first to look through. The auror stumbled.

Surprised to see such a reaction, Tonks and Ron rushed up behind him and looked over his shoulder. "MERLIN!"

Standing before Sarah Linsetti was Severus Snape. The thought dead potions master had his hands on Linsetti's upper arms as the woman bounced nervously in place. He was whispering to her softly, trying to comfort her. It surprised them as none of them had ever seen a soft emotion on Snape's face before but here he was trying to calm someone.

Tonks blinked continuously in disbelief as Sarah hugged Severus, burying her head in his shoulder just for a second before pulling away with a huge smile on her face. She moved closer. It seemed as if they had finally stopped whispering.

"So are you bringing the boys to Ash's place tonight?" asked Sarah.

The aurors were shocked to realize that the twins were Snape's children. "Yes. Let them eat and destroy the kitchen. By the time they get home they'll be exhausted." Severus shook his head.

"What are you going to do when they get older?" Sarah laughed at him.

"Hope and pray," grumbled Severus.

An old woman came out of a back room. "Severus, dear, you should head on over and get the boys."

"Whatever for? They don't get out for two more hours."

"Something has come up. One of the ladies that work their called and said that it was an emergency and that all the parents should come and claim their children."

"Didn't she tell you what happened Hestia?" asked Severus, who wore a displeased frown.

"Nothing, dear. Now hurry up. Have you come to get something, Sarah?" asked Hestia gently, turning to Sarah.

"Just for a quick chat, Mother. I'll see you later." Sarah watched Severus put away his lab coat. "Do you mind if I tag along Severus? Breanna and I could do with some lunch."

"Not at all. Let's go."

The aurors had moved out of sight before the two had come out while waving goodbye to the old muggle woman, Hestia.

Ron turned to his partners wide eyed. "He's alive! Snape's alive! He really must have escaped from Azkaban."

"Apparently," whispered Tonks who stared after Snape and Linsetti.

"But what is he doing here!" Ron cried softly. He didn't want to alert the people they were following.

Kingsley frowned. "He could have run here after escaping."

"Yes but isn't it strange that it would be the same place that Pettigrew landed! And it looks like he was the one Linsetti was with that day. And Snape's the twins' father."

Tonks nodded that it all did sound rather suspicious. /Maybe we should contact the Order./

"I say we take him in."

Shacklebolt looked at Weasley like he'd gone crazy. "What!"

"Don't you think he'll know we're looking for him? He'll leave now and we'll lose him!"

"Ron," said Tonks trying to calm the young man, "He may not have anything to do with Pettigrew. What if its just a coincidence?"

"Then we'll still be able to tell people that he's alive. And he might be able to help Harry too!" cried Ron. To be honest, all he'd really thought about was bringing in Snape. He was sure the man had something to do with Pettigrew and what happened to Harry. /I bet he had something to do with that vial too/

Kingsley grimaced as Ron continued down the street following the two. He knew he was going to regret this. "Let's go, Tonks."

* * *

Severus Evans, also known as Severus Snape, walked with Sarah and the twins back to Sarah and Brea's place. Sarah was gossiping about something Severus didn't care to hear about and the twins were trying to use his arms as swings. The usual activity, discounting that sometimes it was Breanna walking with him. However, there was something…off. 

He was feeling a bit of a mental itch between his shoulder blades, a tension in his body that he hadn't felt in a few years. Severus also knew what it was. Someone was following him.

And not just him but Sarah and the twins too. Severus started to increase their pace slightly. Neither Sarah nor the twins noticed it, which was for the best. Severus didn't want them to get nervous just yet.

When they reached the store, Severus immediately sent the boys to the restrooms. They didn't question him since they had to use the toilet anyway. Severus then turned to Sarah. "You have your wand?" He had never bothered to replace his.

"Yes, why?" asked Sarah nervously. She slipped her wand from her purse.

"Someone was following us."

Sarah froze. "Could it have been the aurors?"

Severus, who had walked toward the stairs to call Brea, turned to her to speak when the door opened. He turned and glared at the three before him. "Shit."

* * *

"Severus Snape, you are here by under arrest for suspicion in the case of the death of Peter Pettigrew and in the case of the attempted murder of Harry Potter." 

Sarah gasped. /What kind of stupid charges-/ "What is the meaning of this!"

Ron ignored her for Snape who was looking at him as if he was nothing but a large ant that he could still crush beneath his feet. It angered the young man slightly but he managed to push it down. "Snape, you can either proceed quietly and under your own power or-,"

"You can get the hell out of my place." The group turned to see a rather pissed off looking witch come down the stairs.

* * *

Brea glowered at the three aurors causing them to flinch. She smirked. /That's right. Be afraid. Be **very** afraid./ 

Kingsley cleared his throat. "Miss, er,"

"Moorman."

"Miss Moorman, we only wish to take Snape in for questioning on the matter."

"Questioning," Brea said almost innocently but it had a sharp tone of condescension. Kingsley saw Snape smirk and look at the woman with pride. "If you wish to 'question' Severus, why don't you do it right here?" Her arms uncrossed and her hands went to her hips.

* * *

Severus shook his head. He loved to see Brea when she got overprotective. At least she wasn't too mad. That would be terrible. Severus paused to think on that. /Would it really/ 

Tonks decided to speak up. "It's only that something is usually done at the Minsitry."

"Ah the Ministry, yes. So why didn't you take me to the Ministry?" asked Sarah coldly.

Severus flinched. /Poor bastards. Those women feed off each other's anger./ Emotionally, Severus wanted Shacklebolt, Tonks, and Weasley to leave but it didn't look like it was going to work. He glanced at Sarah and Breanna. Those two would get in trouble if they tried to kill the aurors. Severus groaned silently.

"Wait." He glanced at his friends. "Xavier, Nathaniel!"

Both boys came running from the bathroom…soaking wet with water.

(Alia: Things like this happen when the kids are by themselves and too quiet.)

Severus blinked at them then sighed. A snort of laughter and a giggle came from around him and he groaned. "Dare I ask?"

The twins glanced at each other then shook their heads. Severus nodded. "I didn't think so." He walked forward and placed a hand on each boy's damp head. "You two are going to be staying with your aunts for a while."

Xavier looked at his father curiously while Nathan looked at the three aurors. Severus could see the twins look at each other. They were bright enough children and knew that something bad was going to happen. "Why?" asked Nathan.

"Because the aurors need me to ask some questions for them. I'll be back soon."

"How soon?" Sarah demanded as she glared at the aurors. Breanna moved beside her and the combined looks made the uninvited guests nervous.

"A couple of days."

Brea glowered at him. "I'll hold you to that." Kingsley flinched.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Stop scaring them!" He walked toward the aurors.

"I'm contacting my lawyer. Just in case," said Sarah.

"Good." Severus walked out the door with the aurors following him.

TBC

Alia: Okay. Review. And I told you it wasn't just like WDCA.


	6. Ministries and Pleas

Alia: Oh thank god, I can write again. I was seriously in trouble for a while there but apparently my little pick me up worked (check it out on my profile page;Dying of a Broken Heart) and now I can cross another plotbunny off the list. This is kind of short (to me anyway) but I hope you guys enjoy it.

REVIEWS:

**shadowcub**: You don't like threesomes? (blinks and shakes head) Well don't worry too much because it may just have a past couple in it. However, the somewhat evil Dumbledore will make up for it. Thanks for the review.  
**voland**: Ron has to have someone to blame...think of the type of auror he makes. Thanks for reviewing and voting.  
**arthorius**: Sorry but sometimes I just don't have the energy or whatever to write. I just can't get into the right feeling for it sometimes.  
**tazthedevilman**: hehe. Thanks for reviewing Audrey and whenever you finish HBP remember, I'm here for you to rant to.  
**Kamp**: How can I leave it there. It's easy, you just need to know where you'd hate to be cut off. Thanks for reviewing.

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 6

RATING: PG-13

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)

SPOILERS: not including OotP or HBP (sobs)

WARNINGS: angst, language, minor character deaths

DISCLAIMER: JKR doesn't deserve it but she owns it…for now…

BETA: NONE. Sorry for any mistakes.

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Oh god I've started college again. Let me tell you that it so sucks. I can already tell that I won't have as much time to dedicate to writing as much as I used to but I'm taking a creative writing course so that I can get better. I have a few plot bunnies in the works but nothing will truly be started until I finish Second Chances or another story. By the way, if you want to see what story ideas I have, check out my profile.

Light and Dark Days 6

Twenty minutes later, Severus found himself being hauled through the aurors' headquarters, which was unfortunately part of the Ministry of Magic.

Severus found himself in a surprisingly good humor despite the situation he was in. Every time someone so much as glanced at him, they either stumbled in shock or did a beautifully classic double take.

The three aurors that surrounded him looked far from happy, although Weasley looked slightly triumphant about the entire thing. As Severus was led down the depressingly familiar hallways, he wondered how long it would take for the news of his appearance to circulate through the Wizarding community.

Kingsley opened the door and motioned for Severus to enter the interrogation room. The former Hogwarts professor raised an eyebrow but entered calmly taking a seat on one side of the table. Tonks and Weasley stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

Severus looked at Shacklebolt since he was the leader of the group. Clearing his throat, the man began to speak. "Snape-,"

"Yes?" said Severus curiously.

Frowning at being interrupted he continued. "We need some answers to what we've discovered today."

Smirking, but mentally wondering what stupidity they had thought up, Severus nodded once. "Then ask away."

"Were you with Miss Linsetti the afternoon she found the body of Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes."

"Why were you with her?"

Severus leaned back into the uncomfortable chair. "I planned on eating dinner at her home. She and Miss Moorman are friends of mine."

"Can you tell us in your own words what happened?"

Severus told them all that happened including the fact that it was he that identified Pettigrew's body.

Ron stepped in. "So why didn't Linsetti let us know that you were also there?" The red head was so sure that Snape has something to do with everything that was going on.

Severus glared at the young man. It was the first sign of hostility he'd given them. "Because I wanted to be left the bloody hell alone!"

The three aurors blinked. Tonks opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.

"I have gotten all that I wanted from the Wizarding World. I want nothing to do with it anymore. I didn't know what would happen if any of you knew I was still alive, so I told Sarah to leave me out of the story."

"Professor Snape, we wouldn't have arrested you!" exclaimed Tonks. "Everyone knows the truth about what happened at the end of the war."

"Oh really? So I'm not under arrest now as a suspect of what happened to Potter and Pettigrew?"

She blushed and coincidentally, her hair turned a bright red.

Weasley stepped forward with a glare and Severus gave a long mental sigh. /Oh no./

"That's doesn't matter! What matters is-,"

"Weasley!" snapped Shacklebolt. The younger auror grimaced but stepped back from the table.

Shacklebolt sighed before turning back to Snape. "Alright. I believe that we could accept that. Was Pettigrew dead by the time you found him?"

"Yes. It seemed as if he'd collapse the moment he'd appeared from where ever he came from."

Shacklebolt nodded. He'd gotten the same impression. "Snape, why did you stop in that particular town? Why not elsewhere?"

"The ladies you met today and I are the only magical people in that town. I think you can understand why there."

Weasley interrupted. "How did you escape from Azkaban?"

"That…is none of your business Mr. Weasley. Do you have any other question pertaining to WHY you arrested me?" growled Severus with annoyance.

Ron suddenly felt two inches tall. Snape always had the ability to do that and this time the man wasn't even insulting him.

Kingsley rubbed his forehead. /Ron, you and I are going to have a long talk when this is over. "Snape, is there anything else you found that could be of interest to us?"

"Nothing."

"Had you seen Pettigrew before yesterday?"

"No." Snape shook his head. "The town isn't that large. I am certain that I would have seen him before yesterday."

"Do you have any ideas as to why he would have appeared there?" asked Tonks.

Severus was quiet for a long moment. "No. I don't."

Weasley snorted. "So you expect us to just think that this whole thing is a coincidence? An explosion that puts Harry into a coma and obviously involves Pettigrew, who in turn, ends up dead in a wood which just happens to be near your way home?" He snorted again and shook his head. "I don't believe a word of it."

"Ron!" snapped Kingsley angrily. "Why don't you go outside?"

The young man looked shocked. "But-,"

"OUT!" Kingsley pointed to the door.

Trying to be a man about it, Ron walked from the room. Severus was reminded of a small Draco Malfoy after being told 'no'. /A brat to the core./

With a silent groan, Shacklebolt turned back to Snape. "Snape, from the information we have, and what Miss Linsetti has told us, we don't think you had anything to do with Pettigrew. However, now that it will be known that you are alive, especially with a situation such as this, you will be our number one suspect."

Severus kept silent. Kinglsey glanced at Tonks out of the corner of his eyes. He raised his brow in surprise when she mouthed Harry silently. She pointed at Snape discreetly.

Severus, who saw everything that had just happened, laughed silently.

"Snape, I don't suppose you know about Harry do you?"

"Only what the Ministry has told the Daily Prophet," he replied.

Kingsley leaned on the table. "That is?"

"Shacklebolt, if you are so desperate to catch me out of sorts, I am sorry to say that it will not happen for the fact that I had nothing to do with whatever happened to Potter."

"So you don't know?"

"I know that there was an explosion in Gringotts and it had something to do with Potter's vaults. I also know that know that Potter's in St. Mungos in a coma. Other than that I know nothing."

Kingsley nodded silently. While upset that he felt Snape was telling the truth, he was also pleased that their betrayal hadn't caused the man to go after Harry.

A knock at the door drew the three pairs of eyes. With a nod from Shacklebolt, Tonks walked over and opened the door.

* * *

Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley rushed along the halls toward the interrogations rooms housed in the ministry. /I don't believe it. He's alive/ 

The word had spread like wild fire throughout the ministry building, despite the fact that it was mostly rumor. According to those in the hallway, Aurors Shacklebolt, Weasley, and Tonks had brought in a man that looked a great deal like Severus Snape.

As Arthur held off his impulses to break into a run, thoughts ran wildly through his head. He knew something was not right. That Severus Snape, who had been believed dead by the Wizarding world for the last five years, was brought in just days after Harry Potter had been almost fatally injured was not a good omen. /Did Snape have anything to do with what happened at Gringotts? He no longer has a wand…at least I don't think he does./

Almost cursing the fact that as Minister he had to uphold some type of decorum, Arthur released a long breath of air in relief as he finally reached the correct door. He slowed his hurried pace and blinked in surprise when he saw Ronald leaning against the door.

"Ron?"

The redheaded young man turned and smiled brightly. "Dad, you won't believe what happened!"

"I believe I may have an idea," he said with an inquiring look at his son. "Rumors are flying all about the building that Snape was brought into the building just a few minutes ago."

Ron nodded proudly. "He is! He's here! Kingsley, Tonks, and I brought him in."

Arthur's eyes widened. "So he really is alive." It was said more of a thought but Ron answered.

"Yes. It's definitely him. We went to investigate that woman, Linsetti."

"The one who flooed us about the man with the silver hand? Pettigrew? Was it really him?"

"Yes," said Ron, "it was him alright." He briefly described what they'd found. "The real problem was that her story was off a little. She'd told us that she had gone alone with two little boys. Apparently, it was her, the twins, and Snape."

Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why did she not tell you about Snape?"

"Apparently he told her not too." Ron snorted derisively. "Snape told us that he wanted nothing more to do with wizards."

Arthur said nothing to that. He could see how Snape would feel about the Wizarding world after they'd betrayed him then threw him into Azkaban. "Does Snape have anything to do with the body found?"

"All he says is that he found the body and identified Pettigrew."

He heard the tone in his son's voice. "You don't think that is the case."

Ron shook his head. "No. I think he had something to do with it. It's all too much of a coincidence, isn't it?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Weasley had to agree with his son on one point. Things were just too much of a coincidence.

"Why don't we see what Kingsley and Tonks believe?" He glanced at Ron. "Is that why you brought Snape in? On suspicion of the murders?"

"Yes, sir."

The minister nodded and knocked on the door.

* * *

Shacklebolt opened the door and when Arthur Weasley, the Minister of Magic, entered the room, none of them were really surprised. 

Severus heaved a silently sigh. He wanted to get out of here before they decided to bring the entire Order of Phoenix. He had other things to do than sit here and hear them accuse him of something. /Such as figure out just how the twins got that water all over themselves./

Arthur nodded at Kingsley and Tonks then turned to the former Hogwarts professor. He smiled, though it faltered slightly when Severus just looked back at him coldly. "Professor Sn-,"

"Minister Weasley, I am no longer a Professor and to be even more clear my name is no longer Snape. Now whatever you wish to say, might I suggest you spare me the niceties and tell me what the bloody hell you want?" He smiled in a way that might have been termed sweetly but Severus's calm had slowly deteriorated. The sharp black eyes sent a wave of chills down their spines.

Arthur could not believe that his heart actually jumped at bit. But the slowly growing cold fury in Snape's eyes scared him.

Severus glanced at Tonks. "Why don't you tell the Minister all he wishes to know so that I can go home?"

Clearing her throat, Tonks turned to Arthur and quickly explained all that he'd told them. "Since there is no binding evidence, we will have to release Professor Snape."

Arthur was hesitant to ask whether or not Severus should be tested under Veritaserum. The guilt that he harbored at Severus's wrongful imprisonment ate at him.

Severus narrowed his eyes at Weasley then snorted. He darted his eyes to the side to look at Shacklebolt. "I believe that your esteemed minister would like to know if you've given me Veritaserum."

Kingsley glanced at Arthur then shook his head.

The minister cleared his throat. "Can you go get some, Shacklebolt? We need to be completely accurate of these answers. No one knows what happened to Mr. Potter and we must be sure of the events concerning Pettigrew."

It was during the time of Shacklebolt's absence that the tension grew.

Tonks was shifting from foot to foot, trying to hide her agitation of the situation. She felt a strange itch in her side that bothered her greatly but she did nothing to stop it, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Ron found it impossible to hold still. He couldn't keep his arms from crossing, uncrossing and shoving his hands into his pockets, or just picking at his robes. He also found it suddenly hard to keep his eyes in any one place in the room.

Arthur continued glancing between Severus, Ron, and Tonks. Of the three of them Severus was the one who looked totally cool. His eyes were closed, his arms, were crossed, and he was leaning back, looking comfortable in the terribly uncomfortable chair. Arthur bit his lip lightly as Headmaster Dumbledore came to mind. /I will have to tell Albus soon. But should I do it now or wait until after Snape leaves./

Severus wasn't thinking of anything but a few potions experiments he did in a lab he'd made out of his basement.

After a few minutes Kingsley returned and administered the potion. He then proceeded to ask all of the questions he'd asked before, only to receive the exact same answer to all.

Ron then asked, "So you have nothing to do with Pettigrew or Harry? Nothing at all?" He was desperately trying to find answers to what had happened to his best friend but he was receiving no answers.

"Nothing." Severus had taken to staring at the door. He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Kinglsey cleared his throat. "Well it seems that you are free to go." He didn't add a name or title because Snape no longer had a title and he had obviously changed his name.

Severus stood gladly but he didn't show it.

Arthur, however, quickly stepped forward. "Actually, we were wondering if you could just stay for a moment. We have a few more questions to ask. If you could only wait a moment."

"Oh. So it will only take you a moment to rush and fetch Dumbledore."

Arthur winced as Severus laughed. "I am not stupid, Weasley." He narrowed his eyes at the man. "You have no reason to hold me. Allow me to my leave."

"Please! Just a moment of your time. You are correct I was going to contact the headmaster but there is something else that-,"

"What do you want, Weasley?" snarled Severus. Dark eyes were flashing angrily.

"It's Mr. Potter."

"And I've told you that I had nothing to do with what happened to Potter."

"And we believe you, Snape, but…" He trailed off, hesitation clear in his voice.

"But what?" He wondered just what was so important about Harry that they need him.

"Severus, you are still one of the top potions masters in the country if not the world. I was wondering… Young Harry is in a terrible condition. No one has the faintest idea what is wrong with him. I was wondering…if perhaps…you could take a look at him. Just for another point of view."

Severus blinked at him in surprised though the remainder of his face remained unreadable. "You want me to help you with Mr. Potter? I thought you were convinced that I planned the whole thing!"

"Professor-,"

"Shut up, Weasley!" growled Severus.

Ron was about to jump to his father's defense when dark eyes turned to him. Ron's eyes quickly dropped to the ground.

Severus turned to look at Weasley. "Why? After all that is happening, why do you trust me with Mr. Potter's safety. How do you know I won't kill the boy just to spite you!"

Arthur was silent. He hadn't though of that.

Severus snorted. "And what the bloody hell makes you think that I would want to help you! After all that's happened between me and the Order, **why** would I possibly **want** to **help you**?" The anger, and possibly hatred, in his voice caused the four to flinch.

Severus glowered at them then turned to the door.

"Please!" called Ron pleadingly.

Severus paused.

"He's starting to come out of the coma, but it's not looking good. It's like his whole body is radiating pain from the burns he's gotten. His body is getting weaker and he's started to reject everything that the healers are giving him. From what we've been told he's going to die if something isn't done soon."

Severus turned his head slightly and looked at the begging look on the young Weasley's face. "I may not be able to help the boy. It might already be too late for him."

"Please. Just…look at him…"

Severus, just for a moment, wanted to damn them all to hell and leave, but he thought of Harry for a long moment. How the young man who'd rescued him was suffering from causes unknown with no one able to help him. And although he knew he didn't have to help Potter…he wanted to.

Severus closed his eyes and this time sighed audibly. He stared at the hopeful looks. "Just for a moment. I'll take a look at him."

TBC

Alia: I'd have written more but I still need to get back into my groove. REVIEW


	7. Red Eyes

Alia: (cringes) Now, don't ya'll give me that look! It was writer's block and I'll be damned if I put up a bunch of shit just to appease you and you know it wouldn't. However, I do believe that I'm back on track with this story. Talk about a breath of fresh air.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed this story. I am so sorry it took me so long to finish this up. I hate myself right now. I haven't updated this baby since September of 2005!

On with the story!

TITLE: Light and Dark Days

AUTHOR: Alia

STATUS/PART: 7

RATING: PG-13

PAIRING: Severus Snape / (who knows)

SPOILERS: not including OotP or HBP

WARNINGS: angst, language, minor character deaths

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP. I'm still broke, so there!

SUMMARY: Severus leaves the wizarding world after a devastating betrayal. But what will cause him to return? AU to WDCA.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: That's right! SCREW YOU WRITER'S BLOCK!

Light and Dark Days 7

Relieved looks and bright smiles overcame the Minister of Magic and the aurors. Severus stayed next to the door.

Arthur spoke to him. "Would you like to go now?"

"I suppose that would be best." Shacklebolt exited the room quickly followed the Minister and the others. "Tell me everything that you know so far, including anything you left out of the papers."

"Well you know it happened a few days ago," Ron said.

"Harry had been called to Gringotts about an account that had been put in his name. He went to the bank around noon that day, right after we had lunch with Hermione. From what the goblins tell us, Harry had received the key and had gone down to look at the vault."

"Had any precautions been taken?" asked Severus as the group quickly swept down the corridors.

"Yes. Everything had been checked out by one of the goblins before Harry went down. There are still the occasional wackos around that want to take out the boy who lived so he learned to be cautious," said Ron as he continued to answer Snape's question.

"What happened next?" asked Severus as he watched people in the corridors continue to notice him and react. It wasn't quite as entertaining before as some had seen him earlier.

"We went our separate ways. Harry went into the vault while I went to visit mine. I was with him that day. Anyway, the next thing I know, there is a huge explosion coming from the direction I'd left Harry at. The goblins and some wizards that were around ran in that direction. It looked like Gringotts had had a hole ripped into it. The entire vault had been gutted."

Arthur led them into his office and motioned everyone to take a seat. "I'll call St. Mungo's from here."

"Continue," demanded Severus.

"I'd only gotten a glimpse into the vault. There hadn't been much. Plenty of coins and a few antiques but nothing else. It had all been destroyed or strewn about. Some of the vault also ended up blocked from us as a couple walls had collapsed."

"And Potter?"

"Harry was trapped inside. I tried calling to him but either he couldn't hear me, or he couldn't answer. It was probably the latter. Others that were there helped me make a whole big enough for one of the goblins to slip inside and check on Harry. It came back and told us that's he'd been injured and that it was pretty bad."

"Did he give you any specifics?"

"No," said Ron shaking his head.

"Did he tell you anything else about what he saw inside? Did he see anyone else in the vault?"

"No. He said he saw the same amount of damage on the inside as there was on the outside."

"Nothing was burnt or anything?" asked Severus as he remembered he'd seen on Pettigrew and were reportedly on Potter.

"No. Surprisingly the explosion wasn't anything flammable. Things were destroyed because they were forcibly tossed about and from what we found, pressure from inside of the vault may have caused the explosion to blow out of the vault," answered Tonks.

"Hmm." Severus watched as Arthur Weasley spoke with Potter's healer. "What happened afterwards?"

"We got the rubble out of the way and found Harry."

"Where was Mr. Potter and what was his condition when you found him?"

"He was in the far back of the vault, stretched out. It looked as if he'd been blown back. He had these," Ron waved his hands, "shimmering silver burns all over his face, hands and arms. It had even gotten into his hair and burned some of it away. Later we found they'd gone through his clothes as well."

"Silver burns…They weren't any other color afterward were they?"

Ron nodded. "They turned black later and looked like really bad third degree burns. St. Mungo's has tried to treat them and they're going away although slower than they usually would."

Severus nodded silently as Arthur turned to them.

"We're ready to go. We'll just floo through to Harry's floor. The healers are waiting for us." Arthur turned toward the fireplace and entered, leading the way.

Just before entering, Severus turned his head to Ron. "One last question Mr. Weasley. Did you find anything strange at the scene?"

Ron frowned and thought for a moment. "I don't think so. I'll have to check Ministry sources to see what they found."

Severus nodded and followed Tonks into the floo. Shacklebolt and Ron went after them.

* * *

Again amusement was prominent on Severus's face as he watched the reactions to his presence. It did take away somewhat that the aurors and Minister of Magic accompanying him found it just as amusing. Just as before, healers, mediwizards, mediwitches, and patients were falling, tripping, double taking or running into things as he walked down the hall with the rest of the group.

Severus rolled his eyes once more as they reached a door. Two healers were standing before it. One was an older man with a pleasant demeanor that was obviously suffering from severe hair loss. The other was a woman who appeared to be around Severus's age. She had a kind air about her although her hair was pulled into a harsh style.

The older gentleman stepped forward. "Minister Weasley! It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Hello Mathias. And how is he today?" asked Arthur, concerned about the boy he thought of as one of his own.

The healer sighed. "He's still unconscious although he is responding to some of the medication. His burns are still healing slowly but cleanly and they aren't infected. We're still researching to see why Mr. Potter has yet to wake up."

"Have you found any abnormalities on Mr. Potter's person? Anything strange?" asked Severus as he eyed the door.

The healer looked at him and jumped in surprise. Severus smirked as the older wizard spoke, "Nothing at this point. The burns that were on Mr. Potter are now the color they are suppose to be rather than the silver color they were when he was brought in."

Everyone nodded as the healer motioned toward the door. Severus looked at the door then back at Shacklebolt. The auror leaned over toward him. "A private wing. We don't want just anyone running around, especially since it looks like Harry was purposely attacked. There are aurors guarding the hall upstairs at all times."

The female healer smiled and opened the door revealing a long narrow staircase. A couple minutes later, everyone was at the top and standing in a long corridor. The older healer took charge. "If you will all follow me this way," he said, throwing a wary glance at Severus. The wizard caught it but ignored it. He was here to see if he could help Potter. There was no other reason.

They reached the fourth door on the left of the long hallway. Two aurors stood outside the door. Both men nodded at the Minister and the other aurors. One jumped slightly in surprise at Snape. The other didn't seem to recognize the potions master. "Although Mr. Potter is unconscious, we ask that you try to keep things quiet. We don't want a profound reaction."

Severus just managed not to roll his eyes. /Please. You should be trying to get a strange reaction so you can find out what the hell is wrong with the boy! Idiots./

Everyone entered the sterile hospital room. Severus looked around at the plain room. It wasn't like usual. It had been decorated by well wishes such as cards, candies, and balloons. /It brings color but it just looks tacky./

Lying in the bed under the blankets was an unconscious Harry Potter. The young man's head was turned to the side while his palms were face up over the covers. He was covered liberally with bandages. They were on his face, hands, arms, neck and chest. Severus also believed that more of the younger man's body was bandaged beneath the covers. He observed Potter's face. /He looks as if he's sleeping peacefully./

Moving away from the group, Severus moved closer to the bed, his eyes still fixed on Harry's face. The potions master frowned. /Wait…There is something wrong./ The rapid eye movement was bothering Severus. It seemed to be much too erratic for someone in a coma like Potter was.

"Might I suggest that you check Mr. Potter's eyes."

The healers looked at each other and frowned. The older man looked at the Minister to see if he should follow the suggestion. Arthur nodded, hopeful that Severus had found something no matter how quickly.

Severus stepped away seeing that he made the healers somewhat nervous. The aurors and the Minister shifted to his side. "What did you see?" asked Tonks excitedly.

"I'm not quite sure yet. I'll need to look at his burns in a moment," Severus muttered softly.

The woman gasped. "Look at his eyes! Is he waking up?" she asked the older healer.

The older man shook his head. "No. No this is something else." Both began using diagnostic spells over the younger wizard. It was a few minutes later when they stopped. Both quickly leaned over the man's body on the bed to compare notes.

A moment later, the man shook his head. "I don't understand. Mr. Potter shouldn't have such rapid eye movement. He's not even in REM sleep!" cried the older man as he threw his arms out to his sides.

Severus frowned. "This started recently?"

"According to the spells," answered the woman, "it seems to be sporadic. We don't have the slightest clue why it's happening. I'm surprised that we haven't caught it before now."

Severus held back a sharp barb on their incompetence and said, "I'll need to get a look at some of Potter's burns." He turned to ask a few question of the aurors and Minister Weasley

The older healer nodded and turned toward a cabinet in the corner for more bandages as the other laid a hand on Harry's forehead, preparing to remove a bandage from the side of his face.

A gasp then a strangled scream caused everyone to jump in surprise. The healer now knelt beside the bed, her face displaying the amount of pain she was in. Her wrist was the cause of it. It was being twisted painfully by her patient's left hand.

"Harry, stop!" cried Ron in alarm as his friend, eyes still closed tightly, sat up in the hospital bed. Shacklebolt and Tonks removed their wands, instantly realizing that something was not right.

Ron rushed forward to rescue the woman only for Harry's right hand to rise and make a dismissing gesture in his direction. Ron found himself flying back through the air and into the door.

"Ron!" cried Arthur. He ran to his son's side, checking to see if Ron was injured. The two aurors that had stood guard outside opened the door to just in time to see the screaming healer tossed over the bed and into her shocked colleague.

Severus watched all of this in disbelief. /What in Merlin's name is going on? Potter's…/ Severus's thought trailed off instantly as shock overcame his senses. Fear, however, was close on its heels. /No. Oh my God./

Sitting up in the bed, with a smirk crossing his face, Harry Potter stared at them with burning red eyes.

Shacklebolt gasped then raised his wand, "Stupefy!" The spell shot towards Harry, only for the younger wizard to mysteriously block it.

Severus took a step back as Tonks and Shacklebolt began trying to subdue Potter who was standing to the left side of the room where the witch had been earlier. Severus glanced at the healers who were digging through a drawer for a sedative. Looking closer at the large cabinet, Severus began moving in that direction, keeping his eyes on Potter's fight with the aurors.

Ronald Weasley had been dragged outside by his father, and the other two aurors were struggling to keep other hospital staff out of the room. Severus kept his eyes on the cabinet, moving quickly when he saw that Potter had his back to him.

The healers were arguing frantically. "How will we even be able to give him a damn sedative? We can't get near him!" cried the witch.

The old man shook his head. "I don't know, but we don't have a choice!"

Severus ignored them as he started searching the top of the cabinet. The wizard at his feet looked up at him. "What are you doing?" he yelled as Severus pulled out a scalpel of all things.

The former professor stared at him coldly. "I'm about to stop the raving mad man over there." Ripping the potion from the healer's hands, Severus turned back to the fight.

Potter was winning with little trouble, although Severus had to wonder how the wizard got his wand. Tonks, Shacklebolt, and one of the aurors that had been outside were struggling to stop Potter, but none of them could get close enough and all were trying to avoid the dark curses, including Unforgiveables, being thrown their way.

He shook his head not believing what he was about to do. /I'm insane. I have to be insane./

Seeing that they were keeping Potter distracted, Severus took a deep breath before charging at Potter's back. The minute he was close enough, the potions master wrapped his left arm around Potter's chest, pinning the younger man's upper arms to his sides.

Potter screamed at the top of his lungs, cursing and thrashing as he tried to free himself. Gritting his teeth, Severus shook Potter furiously before raising his right hand and pressing the scalpel to his throat.

The minute Potter felt the prick of the scalpel at his neck, he froze. Severus growled under his breath. "Now listen to me, very carefully, Potter. You have one choice. Calm Down."

Potter laughed cruelly. Severus shot a look at the three aurors who flinched and looked away from Harry's face. "One choice, eh Snape?" He laughed again but remained still. "And if I don't?"

Severus pressed harder on Harry's neck where there was no bandage. A bead of blood fell from the smooth, shallow cut that was made. "I slit your throat and we see how good the healers here really are." It was said coldly, in a matter of fact manner. Potter had stopped laughing.

"You'd kill me?" whispered the hoarse voice incredibly.

"In a heartbeat." Everyone believed him.

In the next moment, Tonks gasped. "Harry!" The young man instantly began sagging in Severus's arms. The older wizard quickly laid the Boy Who Lived on his back and tossed the now useless sedative aside. Severus forced one eyelid open.

Both opened afterward, once again a brilliant green. Harry frowned. "Severus?"With that the man passed out.

TBC

Alia: Yes! REVIEWS make me happy and make me want to write more. Remember that. REVIEW.


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